Early Childhood Education

The Master of Arts in Teaching – Early Childhood Education program is designed for individuals interested in becoming candidates for a Tennessee Pre-Kindergarten-3 Teaching License. The program mixes online and on-campus course formats and includes a semester of student teaching. Please see the official website or contact an advisor for a description of courses and their delivery formats.

MAT (initial license) candidates for the Early Childhood Education (PreK–3) certification must complete a course of study that includes two main components. The first component is courses in the Master's program focused on general professional education core competencies. The second component is Pre-Kindergarten focused courses related to the specific needs of the early childhood learner and the specific requirements of the early childhood learning environment. Pre-Kindergarten focused courses are offered on campus in a Summer Institute format in odd numbered years. Summer institutes blend online learning environments with an intensive week-long on-campus class based learning format.

For initial license candidates, the program is 36 semester hours including the student teaching semester and seminar.

Candidates with a current and valid Tennessee Elementary Education teaching license may complete the Pre-Kindergarten focused Summer Institute courses to add the Pre-Kindergarten endorsement to their license.

Candidates will complete the specific course requirements below.

Emphasis in Early Childhood Education

Program of Study

MAT 5012	Early Childhood Curriculum & Assessment	3
MAT 5014	Education for the Developing Learner	3
MAT 5015	Support for Early Childhood Learning	3
MAT 5016	Motor Learning & Development	3
MAT 5050	Advanced Educational Psychology	3
MAT 5070	Advanced Classroom Management	3
MAT 5080	Diverse Populations	3
MAT 5180	Education: The Profession & The Professional	3
MAT 5250	Building Literacy in the K-12 Classroom	3
MEd 5396/MAT 5396	Evaluation and Remediation of Mathematics	3
MAT 5286	Student Teaching	3
MAT 5287	Teaching Seminar	3

Total Credit Hours: 36

36 minimum hours required for graduation.

Licensure: Candidates for a Tennessee teaching license must pass state-required exams to be qualified for a license. Exam requirements periodically change. Candidates must consult the Tennessee Department of Education and Educational Testing Service websites for a list of current licensure exams. Teacher licensure candidates are responsible for taking and passing the correct licensure examinations at specific times in their program of study as is detailed in the online Teacher Education Handbook.